Robin Roberts issued an emotional family update after she was missing from Good Morning America

Good Morning America stirred up quite the buzz on August 28 when all three main anchors – Robin Roberts, Michael Strahan, and George Stephanopoulos – were noticeably absent from the show. Their spots were filled by Deborah Roberts, Whit Johnson, and Rachel Scott. Although the anchors’ absences initially went unexplained — with many assuming it was due to the upcoming holiday weekend — it has since emerged that Robin Roberts was away for personal reasons. The GMA star took to Instagram on Saturday to issue an emotional family update to her followers.

Robin marked the 13th anniversary of her mother’s passing by sharing a heartfelt tribute that included a touching message and a photo of Lucimarian Tolliver Roberts’ memorial card. In the caption, she penned: “13 years ago today I was holding our beloved mother’s hand when she left her earthly home to be with daddy and our Lord and Savior. She taught me this prayer when I was a young child and helped me remember  it by calling it the 2 L’s & 2 P’s…Light Love Power Presence. That was momma, a blessing to our family and all who were fortunate to cross her path.”

Robin shared an emotional tribute

The TV star was raised by mom Lucimarian and dad Lawrence, and is the youngest of four children. She has two sisters Sally-Ann and Dorothy, and a brother, Lawrence Jr.

Robin Roberts, Michael Strahan and George Stephanopoulos were all missing from the show

Robin’s coming out story

Back in 2021, Robin reflected on her own coming out story during an episode of Good Morning America. Speaking to her co-stars, Robin said: “I shared with [Colton Underwood] something that my mother said when I told her about my sexuality, that I’m gay, and she said, ‘God loves you because of who he is, not because of anything you do or don’t do.’”

Amber Laign and wife Robin Roberts

The news anchor addressed her sexuality back in 2013. Robin has been in a relationship with Amber Laign since 2005 after they were set up on a blind date by mutual friends. The couple tied the knot in 2023 at their home in Connecticut.

Robin Roberts hosts GMA

During an interview with People, Amber opened up about their relationship. “We keep it fresh,” she shared. “You’ve got to keep it fresh, have our little date nights. We’re on a little date night tonight.”

“But also, I will say — and we’re going to be honest — we’ve had peaks and valleys,” added Robin, while clarifying: “Many more peaks than valleys. Because everything goes back to when you were younger. And so, we had to respect that we had different upbringings. It was really very helpful. Once we made that breakthrough. It really did help.”